Former Zamalek and Al Ahly winger Hussein Yasser Elmohamady talked about his experience with Manchester United and Manchester City and revealed the advice Guardiola gave him during his time with the Citizens.
A product of Qatari side Al-Khor’s academy, Elmohamady joined Premier League giants Manchester United in 2002 coming from Al-Rayyan as a 20-year-old after impressing in his home country.
However, his spell with the Red Devils was cut short as he spent two years on loan at Belgium Royal Antwerp, where he made 35 appearances before signing for Cypriot side AEL Limassol and then Al-Sadd in Qatar.
The Qatari international then returned to England where he joined Manchester City, after an unfruitful six-month spell he returned to Al-Sadd.
Talking to Planet Football, Elmohamady revealed why he didn’t succeed in the Premier League and how they neglected him during his loan spell.
“United didn’t really give us the attention. They weren’t there to really follow us or the club or anything. Maybe they were just getting some reports,” he said.
“It wasn’t beneficial, because Antwerp — or any club you deal with — they think ‘If [the loanees] do well here then [the parent club] will take them or put them somewhere else, and then actually we don’t have anything to do with them; they’re not our players.
“I asked United if I could make a [loan] to a better club. I thought, ‘I’ve been two years in Belgium, I think I’m too far from United, from the league.’
“I said: ‘Let me have a look for somewhere else because I think it’s not the right place for me, playing for a club who is playing relegation football, struggling to stay in the league,”
The 37-year-old then discussed his time in the Blue side of Manchester and why he didn’t succeed there.
“Benarbia was the reason I went from Cyprus to Al Sadd, and then to Man City,” Yasser continued.
“But I didn’t sign just [because of him]. I had a trial. I did very well. I scored against Macclesfield in my first match after only two days’ training.
“Stuart [Pearce, City’s manager at the time] decided to sign me after three days.
“For me it was another new experience, playing with a big team, with big names like Andy Cole and Robbie Fowler. I used to see them playing when I was a kid.
“But it wasn’t really shocking to me, because I’d trained at United with Neville, Forlan, Keane… I had been there when I was younger.”
“I only played one game, 70 minutes, with Pearce. [He gave] Stephen Ireland the chance again and again and again… I didn’t get the same chance.
“When I think about it now, Pearce wasn’t the right type of coach for me, for my style of playing. He liked tackles and long balls,” he added.
Elmohamady then disclosed the advice Pep Guardiola gave him, while the Spaniard was on the verge of signing for Manchester City as well.
Elmohamady then disclosed the advice Pep Guardiola gave him, while the Spaniard was on the verge of signing for Manchester City as well.
“That’s what Guardiola told me when we were together. He said, ‘You will never play here.’
“When I asked him why, he said ‘Because they play a long ball to Cole or to Vassell from Danny Mills or David James. If I play here, if you play here, we’ll have no chance to touch the ball because they only want this way of playing,” he concluded.
Elmohamady then became somewhat of a journey man playing in Portugal for SC Braga and Boavista before joining both Cairo giants Al Ahly and Zamalek, where he’s most remembered among Egyptian fans as he almost led the Whites to their 12th league title.
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